Deepthi Akula
McKinney
Summary
Dynamic Workday Project Manager with extensive experience at Verizon, excelling in Workday implementation, project scheduling, and risk mitigation. Proven track record of delivering successful go-lives while managing stakeholder coordination and vendor relationships. Adept at driving change management strategies, ensuring compliance, and enhancing operational efficiency across complex environments.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Workday Project Manager
Verizon
05.2023 - Current
- Led end-to-end Workday implementation covering HCM, Financials, Payroll, and Adaptive Planning in a Higher Education environment.
- Owned project plans, schedules, budgets, RAID logs, and dependency management across multiple Workday workstreams.
- Coordinated stakeholders across HR, Finance, Payroll, IT, Academic Affairs, and external vendors.
- Managed system integrators (SI) and ensured on-time delivery aligned with scope, quality, and budget.
- Facilitated steering committee meetings, executive presentations, and weekly status reporting.
- Drove change management strategy aligned with academic calendars, semester timelines, and fiscal years.
- Oversaw SIT, UAT, cutover planning, go-live readiness, and hypercare support.
- Ensured compliance with FERPA, Title IV, and public-sector audit requirements.
- Identified and mitigated project risks, resolving issues proactively to avoid schedule or cost overruns.
- Delivered successful on-time go-live with minimal disruption to faculty, staff, and administrative operations.
Senior Workday Project Manager
Osmania University
Hyderabad
02.2021 - 03.2023
- Managed Workday HCM and Financials implementation for a multi-institution Higher Education system.
- Led cross-campus coordination across central administration and individual colleges.
- Established project governance framework to support shared services and decision-making bodies.
- Owned master project schedule, budget tracking, and risk management across institutions.
- Managed multiple vendors and SI teams across functional and technical work streams.
- Aligned Workday rollout with academic calendars and enrollment cycles.
- Conducted executive-level status reporting and steering committee briefings.
- Oversaw testing cycles, cutover planning, and phased go-live strategy.
- Drove organizational change management and end-user adoption programs.
- Achieved successful deployment across campuses with high stakeholder satisfaction.
- Hyderabad India
Workday Project Lead
Incessant technologies Pvt Ltd
12.2019 - 01.2021
- Led Workday Financials and HCM initiatives in a regulated, public-sector aligned organization.
- Managed project scope, timelines, budgets, and resource planning.
- Coordinated stakeholders across HR, Finance, Payroll, IT, and executive leadership.
- Oversaw system integrators and ensured deliverables met contractual obligations.
- Facilitated project governance meetings and executive status updates.
- Led testing strategy, UAT coordination, and deployment planning.
- Ensured compliance with public-sector financial and HR regulations.
- Managed risks, issues, and dependencies to maintain project momentum.
- Led go-live readiness reviews and post-production stabilization activities.
- Delivered Workday solution that improved operational efficiency and reporting accuracy.
Workday Functional Consultant
Charles Schwab
Hyderabad
10.2017 - 12.2019
- Served as Global Workday SME, leading configuration, Go-Live, and post-production support for Core HCM, Payroll, Time, and Absence Management modules.
- Analyzed HR and payroll legislative changes to assess system impacts and ensure tax and regulatory compliance.
- Supported payroll runs, year-end activities, and validated accurate processing of W-2/W-4 data.
- Configured and optimized Payroll Earnings and Deductions, including earning/deduction codes, pay components, and calculation rules.
- Managed Workday Time Tracking module setup, including work schedules, time entry templates, validations, and calculation rules.
- Collaborated with HR, Payroll, and Operations teams to gather requirements, conduct gap analysis, and recommend optimized time-tracking configurations.
- Configured Workday business processes for time approvals, absence integration, and role-based security assignments.
- Performed end-to-end testing—unit, system integration, and UAT—to ensure accurate Time Tracking functionality.
- Developed configuration documentation, test scripts, user guides, and custom reports for Time Tracking and payroll processes.
- Conducted periodic audits, resolved user issues, and ensured compliance with labor laws and organizational policies.
- Hyderabad, India (Contract)
Education
Bachelor of Technology - EEE
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University
India06-2017
Skills
- Workday implementation
- Project scheduling
- Budget management
- Risk mitigation
- Change management
- Stakeholder coordination
- Vendor management
Timeline
Workday Project Manager
Verizon
05.2023 - Current
Senior Workday Project Manager
Osmania University
02.2021 - 03.2023
Workday Project Lead
Incessant technologies Pvt Ltd
12.2019 - 01.2021
Workday Functional Consultant
Charles Schwab
10.2017 - 12.2019
Bachelor of Technology - EEE
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University